Grip strength is the measure of the force you can apply with your hands and fingers alone, rather than the force your hands can exert when you use other muscles along with them. Several tools designed for improving grip strength allow you to work on your grip strength virtually anywhere.

Grip Strength Basics

There are three types of grip strength. Crush grip is the grip used, as the name implies, to crush things and requires the hand to fold inward and squeeze. Pinch grip is the grip used when the fingers are on one side of an object but the thumb is on the other -- often used when lifting a flat object such as a book or weight plate. A support grip is the grip used to hold something that exerts weight away from the hand. This grip may be used when carrying a bucket and is also important when deadlifting weights.

Grip Strength Benefits

A person dangling from a balcony is using grip strength to hold on, but grip strength serves important purposes in circumstances far less dramatic. Grip strength can affect your ability to open jars, squeeze fruit, pick up things without dropping them and engage in basic fitness tasks such as pullups and weight lifting. When the hand muscles are strengthened, some people experience a decrease in wrist, arm and hand pain.

Grip Strength Equipment

Many companies sell grip-strengthening devices that allow you to tightly squeeze your hand. To maximize the benefits you get from a grip strengthener, alternate hands and change your grip and position regularly. For example, improve crush strength by squeezing a grip strengthener together as hard as you can. Build up your pinch strength by putting your thumb on one side of a grip strengthener and fingers on the other, then squeezing. Improve support grip by holding your arm down and parallel to your body and squeezing a grip strengthener. As your strength builds, you can tie very light weight to the strengthener to increase support grip.

Other Strategies

You don't have to use a grip strengthener to improve your grip. Performing daily activities with an eye toward grip strength can improve it. To improve crush strength, try squeezing as much juice as you can from fruits without changing your grip or supporting your hand with the other hand. To improve pinch grip, try lifting books from the floor with your thumb on one side and fingers on the other. Carrying a bucket of water or sand can help you increase your support grip.

References

About the Author

Van Thompson is an attorney and writer. A former martial arts instructor, he holds bachelor's degrees in music and computer science from Westchester University, and a juris doctor from Georgia State University. He is the recipient of numerous writing awards, including a 2009 CALI Legal Writing Award.